With its pink or white flowers, a bouquet of lilacs beautifies the home. With its delicate scent, it brings spring into the house on cloudy days. But what can you do to ensure that the woody shoots last as long as possible in the vase?
Should lilac stems be tapped?
It is often recommended to soften the lilac branches with a hammer to extend their shelf life. However, processing with the tool destroys the cells, the branches can absorb less water and wilt even faster.
How should lilac branches be treated instead?
If you follow a few basic things that apply to many vase flowers, lilac branches will also last up to a week in the vase:
- Remove all leaves.
- The stems are cut diagonally with a clean, sharp knife.
- Split very thick branches at the bottom.
- The water in the vase should be lukewarm.
- Change the water regularly every two days.
- Take advantage of the opportunity and freshly cut the flowering branches.
Tip
Cutting lilacs in the morning hours
The time of cutting also influences its durability in the vase. It's best to bring the fragrant branches into the house in the morning, when the flowers are well supplied with water and have not yet been exposed to the sun. Ideally, the buds have not fully opened yet.
